Coffee extract.



L. ETAIX.

COFFEE EXTRACT- APPLICATION FILED rss. 25. 1915.

1 ,251,359. Patented De0. 25, 1917.

' 0% n'ventor: Witnesses: 1 7 M UNITED STATES PATENT ounce.

LOUIS nrnx, or Penis, FRANCE.

COFFEE EXTRACT.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known'that I LOUIS ETAIX, a citizen of the Republic of France,residin at 12 Rue Cuvier, Paris, in the Repu lie of France,-haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Coffee Extract, of whichthe following is a specification.

The various processes hitherto used for the preparation of liquid orsolid extracts of coffee, only giv'e. rise to products havingadisagreeable flavor; and containing merely a portion of the fundamentalsubstances which go to make up the quality of the various kinds andvarieties of cofi'ee' the other portion of the said substances beinglost or changed in the course of preparation.

In certain processes, the. fundamental aromatic substances are extractedin the. first place from the coffee, and they are subsequently addedeither to a coffee extract or to milk in order to impart their aroma orflavor to the latter; in these processes the funda mental aromaticsubstances are separated either by the distillation of an infusion ofcofiee or by treating the torrefied coffee with suitable solvents or bysubjecting them to the action of steam or a current of gas. Thesubstances thus extracted are separated from the water mixed therewithor from the solvents bya suitable distillation, or they are separatedfrom the gas which has carried them along by cooling.

During these various operations, the fundamental aromatic substances,are subjected to transformations which denature them and eliminatetherefrom their primordial qualities so that the products even whensubsequently aromatized by the addition of substances, do not possess atrace of the delicate flavor aimed at.

The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of a dryextract possessing all the flavor of coflee and containing all thearomatic and volatile substances of the latter without alteration thisdry extract being completely soluble in cold or hot water and in milk.

The resent process consists essentially in:(a liberating from the cofieeall the fundamental aromatic and volatile substances contained therein,by heating the coffee in a closed receptacle at a temperatureapproximately that of the point of torrefaction and passing therethrougha current of air or inert gas, dry and cold. (6) transferringdirectly-"these aromatic substances Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1917.

Application filed February 25, 1915. Serial No. 10,584.

by the air or gas current to a solid extract of cofi'ee finelypulverized, and prepared from cofl'ee the fundamental aromaticsubstances of which have been previously extracted.

-According to the present process the fundamental aromatic substancesare moved about in a vesicular condition by the air or gas current, andtransferred directly by-the same through the powder of the extract fromwhich the aromatic substances have been removed, these vesicles onmeeting the grains of the said pulverulent matter, breaking up andfixing themselves therein in an intimate manner; so that all thearomatic substances are transported and transmitted to this extract ofcoffee without any loss or alteration.

A practical method of carrying this process into efiect will bedescribed hereinafter by way of example.

The coffee from which it is desired to extract the aromatic substances,is first of all torrefied and ground, then introduced in a closed'vesselinto ivhich'it'is raised to a temperature which is approximating that ofits point of torrefaction, for instance 200 to 300 C; this temperaturevaries according to the different sources of the coffee.

In the pulverized mass of the coffee thus heated, a current oi-an inertcold gas (air, carbonic acid, nitrogen and so on) is circulated.

In order to obtain a uniform action and a temperature equal at allpoints, the mass is vigorously mixed during the time it is traversed bythe said current of cold air or inert gas.

During its passage through the pulverulent mass of the ground and heatedcoffee, the air or gas becomes charged with the aromatic substanceswhich free themselves from the coffee, the air or gas being thenconducted directly over a dry and finely pulverized extract, prepared bythe usual means from the coffee from which the aromatic substances havebeen previously eliminated.

Inorder to obtain an adequate efiiciency, a plurality of apparatus maybe mounted together. As shown by way of example in treated, theapparatus a may contain coffee which has been subjected in a preceding'operation to a first de-aromatizing Operation and the apparatus a maycontain coffee which has been subjected to two successive operations ofthat nature.

Each of these apparatus contains as aforesaid, a device for mixing themass of coffee during the time it is traversed by the cold current ofair or inert gas.

These apparatus a, a a are raised to the desired temperature byanysuitable,

heating device.

The plant comprises, moreover, a certain number of apparatus Z), 6 6containing the dry and pulverized extracts prepared from coffee thearomatic substancesof which have been removed in the course of thepreceding operations; these apparatus are mounted in series and areconnected to the preceding apparatus a, a a thearomatic substancesextracted from the coffee contained in the latter apparatus traversingsuccessively the finely pulverized extracts contained in the apparatus5', b b

The extract contained in the first apparatus b is obtained by aninfusion of coffee coming, for instance, from the apparatus a, all itsaromatic substances having been removed, this infusion beingconcentrated and converted by ordinary methods into a. dry extract. Thesecond apparatus b will contain an extract obtained in the same mannerbut which in the course of a preceding operation, has been traversed bya current of air or gas charged with aromatic substances.

The third apparatus b will contain a dry pulverulent extract; which hasbeen subjected to the more prolonged action of a gas current chargedwith aromatic substances.

The plant comprises, furthermore, a system of pipes and a set of valvesdisposed in such manner as always to permit of the establishment of amethodical circulation, that isto say, permitting, after each operation,of the changing of the order in which the gas or air traverses theapparatus so that an apparatus at the tail end can be placed at the headwhen the treatment of the matter it contains is terminated and when thismatter is to be replaced.

It is obvious that all the apparatus will be arranged in a suitablemanner so as always to insure an intimate contact of the pulverulentmatter of the coffee contained therein with the air or gas traversingtherethrough.

In the present process, the aromatic substances extracted from thecoffee cannot be subjected to any alteration and are all to be foundwith the final product obtained.

This product which is very soluble in water whether hot or cold, permitsof pre-,

paring instantaneously a cup of coffee having all the qualities ofcoffee prepared with a percolator.

The above apparatus has only been described by way ofexample, as theshape, materials and details may be varied without thereby affecting theprinciple underlying the present invention.

\Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is 1. A process for the manufacture of coffee extract, consistingin the passing of a cold gas saturated with volatilized and aromaticsubstances through a dry porous extract of coffee to directly transferthe volatile and aromatic substances carried by-the gas to the porousextract.

- 2. A process for the manufacture of coffee extract consisting inheating coffee in a closed vessel at a temperature approximating that ofits point of torrefa'ction, thereby volatilizing the. aromaticsubstances contained therein, directing a cold current of air or of aninert gas through the coffee in said vessel to extract the aromaticsubstances therefrom, and directly transferring said aromatic substancesby means of the said air or gas current to a pulverized coffee extractprepared from coffee the aromatic substances of which have previouslybeen extraeted.

3. A process for the manufacture of coffee extract consisting in placingcoffee to be treated in a series of closed vessels, heating the saidcoffee to volatilize the aromatic substances contained therein, passingat current of air or ofan inert as through the coffee in the successivevesse s to extract the aromatic substances therefrom, passing saidcurrent of air or gas loaded with .volatilized aromatic substancesthrough a second series of closed vessels containing a pulverized coffeeextract prepared from previously dearomatized coffee and periodicallycutting out of the system the vessels containing exhausted, coffee orsaturated coffee extract,

the-operation being so conducted that at any time the vessels eachcontain a charge of coffee or coffee extract at a different stage of thetreatment.

4. A process for the manufacture of coffee extract consisting inrespectivel placing at predetermined times charges 0 pulverized coffeein a series of closed vessels, and charges of a pulverized coffeeextract prepared from previously de-aromatized coffee in another seriesof closed vessels, heating the vessels of the first mentioned series,thereby volatilizing the aromatic substances contained in the coffee,passing a current of air or of an inert gas through the coffee in saidvessels in a direction of oldest coffee to newest' coffee to extract thearomatic substances therefrom, and passing said current .of air-or gasloaded with volatilized aromatic substances through the coffee extractin said second mentioned series of vessels in a direction of poorestextract to richest extract to enrich the charges of cofieeextract byabsorption of the aromatic substances. v

5. A process for the manufacture of cofiee extract consisting involatilizin the aromatic substances contained in co co by subjectingsame to the action of heat and absorbing the volat ilized aromaticsubstances by means of a 'pulverizedcofiee extract prepared fromreviously de-aromatized cofiee the process eing carried out in a, series0 interconnected closed vessels. I

In testimon whereof I atfix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

v LOUIS ETA IX. Witnesses:

DE Wrri G. Poom, Jr.,

I S. A. Kosm.

